Agencies
Gaza
Celebrations erupted across the Gaza Strip after a long-awaited ceasefire came into effect on Sunday following 15 months of war that turned much of the coastal Palestinian enclave to rubble.
The ceasefire came into effect at 11:15am local time (09:15 GMT) on Sunday after Hamas handed over a list of three female captives to be released as part of the deal to Israel through mediators.
Later, Hamas handed over the first three female captives.
Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Sunday evening that 24-year-old Romi Gonen, 28-year-old Emily Damari, and 31-year-old Doron Steinbrecher were handed over to the Red Cross and are “in safe hands” in Israel.
Immediately after the ceasefire took effect, people of Gaza took to the streets to celebrate the end of the war.
“I feel like at last I found some water to drink after being lost in the desert for 15 months,” Aya, a displaced woman from Gaza City who has been sheltering in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip for over a year, said after the fighting stopped.
“I feel alive again.”
“My joy is beyond measure,” said Gaza resident Om Salah.
“From the moment they announced the ceasefire, I quickly packed all my things because I am ready to go to Gaza City. My children are extremely happy to go and see our families, relatives and our lands,” she added.
Meanwhile, many families began to return to their neighbourhoods and homes in the southern and central areas of the Strip, after being forcibly displaced by bombing and evacuation orders from the occupation forces. page 5
